The U.S. military announced on Sunday that it is strengthening its air support military forces in the Middle East and raising its deployment in the region to a heightened state of readiness, while warning Iran not to escalate the current conflict.
According to Reuters, this announcement came two days after President Biden instructed the Pentagon to adjust U.S. military posture in the Middle East amid growing concerns that Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader in Lebanon could provoke retaliatory actions by Iran, which supports the organization.
Pentagon spokesperson, Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, stated in a release, “The U.S. is determined to prevent Iran and its supported partners and proxies from exploiting this situation or escalating the conflict.”
He also cautioned that if Iran or Iran-backed groups “take advantage of this opportunity to target U.S. personnel or interests in the region, the U.S. will take all necessary measures to defend our people.”
The Pentagon’s statement did not provide many clues about the scale or scope of the new air deployments, only stating, “We will further enhance our defensive air support military forces in the coming days.”
Israel conducted more strikes within Lebanon on Sunday, escalating military actions and pressuring Hezbollah following the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah and a series of other senior commanders in recent attacks.
After nearly a year of cross-border skirmishes, Israel’s recent strikes have dealt heavy blows to Hezbollah, killing many of its leaders and exposing significant security vulnerabilities within the organization. There are concerns about whether the U.S. can achieve its goals of containing Middle East conflicts and protecting American interests in the region.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby stated on Sunday that the U.S. is monitoring all steps Hezbollah takes to fill the leadership vacuum and is “continuing to discuss the right next steps with the Israelis.”
The U.S. State Department has not yet ordered an evacuation from Lebanon. However, last week, U.S. officials told Reuters that the Pentagon is deploying additional troops to Cyprus to help the military prepare for various scenarios, including actions to evacuate Americans from Lebanon.
The Pentagon stated that the U.S. military is prepared to deploy when necessary.
Ryder elaborated in a statement, “(Austin) has enhanced the additional deployment of U.S. forces to a state of heightened readiness, increasing our preparedness to respond to various contingencies.”